Simon: Easy To See Why Some Loved Fidel Castro's Cuba, Many More Fled

A woman in Havana walks next to a poster about Cuban former President Fidel Castro in August.

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Originally published on November 28, 2016 1:40 pm

I always had a wonderful time in Fidel Castro's Cuba, and usually wound up feeling bad about it.

The island is beautiful, the people even sunnier: warm and friendly, especially to Americans. The responsables — government minders — assigned to each reporting crew would tease me about being from Chicago.

"Your mobsters used to run this place," they'd say. "Sam Giancana, The Godfather. You made our men bellboys and our women prostitutes." And then they'd treat you to mojitos and fabulous music.

But the more you could eat or drink, well, you began to understand that the good time a guest could have was not possible for almost any Cuban. Cuban society is strictly demarcated between foreign visitors and Cubans. Visitors can eat good food in plentiful amounts, sleep in comfortable hotels, and spend money. Most Cubans can't.

The minders would make sure you met Cubans who spoke of their love and admiration for Fidel, as the man who had made Cuba great by standing up to imperialism. I was impressed by their sincerity.

But the more you got around, read and heard the one government news source, and looked in bookstores, the more you understood: Fidel's voice, and of those who loved him, were the only voices Cubans could hear. The great debate of ideas around so much of the world was shut out of Cuba.

Even the grand old '50s Buicks and Chevys that dazzle and charm so many foreign visitors in Havana began to look menacing to me. They weren't lovingly restored by vintage-car lovers, but ingenuously preserved by Cubans who could not own a car in a country where there is little freedom to move around.

Saddest of all was to see Cuban women, often achingly young, arrayed in lines outside tourist hotels and government-run night spots, their companionship available for foreign currency. I know there is prostitution in the United States, and women are oppressed by it. But it was hard to hear a minder's sermonettes about how Fidel's revolution had freed Cuban women from being forced into such work by U.S. imperialist mobsters, and then see how Cuban socialism had done the same.

The night before you left, your government minder would often ask you to leave the clothes off your back, especially bluejeans or sport shirts they could wear to work with foreigners — or sell for food on the black market.

I always had a wonderful time in Fidel Castro's Cuba. But with each trip, I began to see more of why so many Cubans loved him — and why so many risked their lives to leave.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

I always had a wonderful time in Fidel Castro's Cuba and usually wound up feeling bad about it. The island is beautiful, the people even sunnier - warm and friendly, especially to Americans.

The responsables, government minders assigned to each reporting crew, would tease me about being from Chicago. Your mobsters used to run this place, they'd say. Sam Giancana, The Godfather - you made our men bellboys and our women prostitutes. Then they'd treat you to mojitos and fabulous music.

But the more you could eat or drink well, you began to understand that the good time a guest could have was not possible for almost any Cuban. Cuban society is strictly demarcated between foreign visitors and Cubans. Visitors can eat good food in plentiful amounts, sleep in comfortable hotels and spend money - most Cubans can't.

The minders would make sure you met Cubans who spoke of their love and admiration for Fidel as the man who'd made Cuba great by standing up to imperialism. I was impressed by their sincerity. But the more you got around, read and heard the one government news source and looked in bookstores, the more you understood. Fidel's voice and the voices of those who loved him were the only ones Cubans could hear. The great debate of ideas around so much of the world was shut out of Cuba. Even the grand old '50s Buicks and Chevys that dazzle and charm so many foreign visitors in Havana began to look menacing to me. They weren't lovingly restored by vintage car-lovers but ingeniously preserved by Cubans who couldn't own a car in a country where there is little freedom to move around.

Saddest of all was to see Cuban women, often achingly young, arrayed in lines outside of tourist hotels and government-run nightspots, their companionship available for foreign currency. I know there is prostitution in the United States, and women are oppressed by it. But it was hard to hear a minder's sermonettes about how Fidel's revolution had freed Cuban women from being forced into such work by U.S. imperialist mobsters and then see how Cuban socialism had done the same.

The night before you left, your government minder would often ask you to leave the clothes off your back, especially blue jeans or sports shirts they could wear to work with foreigners - or sell for food on the black market.

I always had a wonderful time in Fidel Castro's Cuba. But with each trip, I began to see more of why so many Cubans loved him and why so many risked their lives to leave. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

As their constituents took to the streets with pots and pans to celebrate Fidel Castro’s death, South Florida’s Cuban-American congressional delegation blasted the Obama administration for the brief diplomatic opening that preceded the dictator’s death.

“The largest financier of Castro right now, has become the Obama administration,” Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart told reporters at a Miami press conference.

University Beat report on the recent USF Sarasota-Manatee panel discussion on U.S.-Cuba relations.

Under President Barack Obama, U.S. relations with Cuba saw a considerable warm-up, including new airline flights between Tampa and Havana. But now, with the election of Donald Trump as President, some wonder how the relationship between the two countries might change.

USF Sarasota-Manatee recently marked International Education Week with a panel discussion on Cuba, its future, and how the two sides might get along moving forward.